Fighting for Our Future: Tackling the Opioid Crisis in Rochester

William Powell
Apr 6
2 min read

Posted by: Chiara for City Council Team

Date: April 6, 2025

The opioid crisis is not just a statistic — it’s a daily reality for too many Rochester families. It’s the empty chair at the dinner table, the missed birthdays, and the quiet heartbreak behind closed doors. At Chiara for City Council, we believe in confronting this crisis head-on with compassion, urgency, and a commitment to real solutions.

💔 A Community in Crisis

Rochester has seen a devastating rise in opioid overdoses — particularly fentanyl-related deaths — that continue to tear through our neighborhoods. From the South Wedge to Lyell Avenue, families are losing loved ones at alarming rates. But behind every overdose is a person: a parent, a sibling, a friend. We cannot look away.

🛑 This Crisis Is Preventable

What we face is not just a drug problem — it’s a public health emergency rooted in trauma, poverty, systemic neglect, and lack of mental health services. That’s why Chiara’s platform focuses on treatment over punishment, prevention over incarceration, and healing over harm.

Chiara's Plan to Combat the Opioid Epidemic:

1. Expand Access to Mental Health and Recovery Services

We need more walk-in mental health clinics, mobile crisis units, and 24/7 access to counseling — especially in areas hardest hit by addiction. Chiara supports fully funding community-based organizations already doing this life-saving work.

2. Support Harm Reduction Strategies

This includes safe needle exchanges, fentanyl test strips, and access to Narcan in every neighborhood. Harm reduction saves lives and connects people to the help they need.

3. Invest in Prevention and Youth Programming

We can’t wait until people are already addicted to take action. Chiara believes in investing in afterschool programs, mentorship initiatives, and trauma-informed care for youth. Breaking the cycle starts early.

4. Hold Pharmaceutical Companies Accountable

We must support policies that hold opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this epidemic — and ensure that any settlement funds go directly into community treatment, not corporate pockets.

5. Build a Recovery-Oriented System of Care

Housing, job training, peer support, and wraparound services must be part of our recovery infrastructure. People need stability to heal — not just detox and discharge.

💬 Chiara Says:

“We can’t arrest our way out of this crisis. Addiction is a disease, not a moral failure. Rochester deserves a leader who sees the humanity in every person — and fights for systems that heal instead of harm. That’s why I’m running.” — Chiara, Candidate for City Council

🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Let’s Build a Rochester Where Recovery Is Possible

We need your voice, your ideas, and your commitment to creating a city that fights for every life. Together, we can end the stigma, expand the support, and fight for a Rochester where no one is left behind.